Even if Master doesn’t come to eat, I’ll still meet him when I pay the rent in three months. They’re really going all out to ensure the old grandpa leaves. Such meticulous arrangements. Then there should be no problem with that shop.
But to be cautious, Lin Xu still sent a WeChat message to his Master: "Master, I heard that someone has been buying up stores near Lin Ji these past few days. Have you heard anything about it? Has anyone called you?"
Soon, a message appeared on his phone: "Your master isn’t awake yet. I’ll let him know when he wakes up."
What in the world? Good heavens, has even his WeChat been taken over? Such a domineering woman is indeed terrifying. Compared to her, our own Shen Baobao is much better. But Master really needs someone to keep him in line. If the Shifus from previous generations had wives who could have managed him , holding him firmly in their palms, he might already have grandsons old enough to run errands.
When the Pork Skin in the pressure cooker was thoroughly boiled and soft, Lin Xu carefully fished out the Pork Skin along with the Scallion and Ginger. At this point, the Pork Skin was so tender it seemed like it would split if lifted. He cooled the Pork Skin in cold water to firm it up slightly, then used a kitchen knife to casually chop the large pieces into smaller ones before putting them into a food processor to grind them up.
The filling for Shengjian Buns couldn’t have any Skin Residue; otherwise, the texture of the Shengjian Buns would be poor. So, the Pork Skin had to be completely crushed, ensuring the resulting aspic would be pure gelatin without skin fragments, making it more suitable for adding to the filling.
The crushed Pork Skin needed to be returned to the broth it was cooked in and then simmered on low heat. Right before it came to a boil, foam appeared again. Lin Xu carefully skimmed off the foam with a spoon and simmered it for about ten more minutes. Once he was sure no more foam was being rendered out, he turned off the heat. He poured the crushed Pork Skin and the broth into a tray and then placed the tray into the freezer to speed up the aspic’s setting process.
While waiting, Lin Xu took a piece of pork shoulder and chopped it into mince. He peeled the Large Shrimp, deveined them, and diced the Shrimp meat, adding it to the mince. He didn’t waste the shrimp heads and shells either. Lin Xu put them into a pot, added some fat, and simmered them on low heat to extract shrimp oil. He added some of this shrimp oil to the minced meat, and its umami flavor was instantly enhanced considerably.
Next, into the mince, he added Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, and pepper powder, mixing well. After that, he whipped the mince until springy using Scallion and Ginger water in which salt and sugar had been dissolved.
Sugar needed to be added to the meat filling for Shengjian Buns. However, adding white sugar directly could cause uneven sweetness and saltiness. Therefore, the white sugar and salt had to be dissolved together in the Scallion and Ginger water. This way, it mixed more evenly, and the flavor of the minced meat would also be better.
Once the Pork Skin aspic in the freezer had cooled, he took it out, chopped it into pieces, and mixed it with the meat filling. He then drizzled in some more shrimp oil and sprinkled a generous amount of chopped Scallions. After mixing it all together, it was ready to be wrapped into the buns.
Scallions are an indispensable ingredient for Shengjian Buns, perfectly showcasing the Shanghai people’s preference for Scallions in their food.
Once the filling was ready, Lin Xu poured the risen dough onto the cutting board and kneaded it before dividing it into small portions. He kneaded each small portion again, rolled it out, then cupped it in his palm, filled it with the prepared mixture, and sealed it like a baozi, trying to pinch off any excess dough at the closure. The filled buns were placed seam-side down on a tray to proof. This was because placing them seam-side down made the finished buns look nicer and more complete.
After preparing a tray, he set a flat-bottomed pan on the stove. Once it was heated, he oiled the bottom and then placed the proofed buns, seam-side down, into the pan. First, he seared them a bit, then poured in a flour-water slurry, and drizzled in some more cooking oil. Covering the pan with a lid, he started to cook them.
This method of making Shengjian Buns is almost the same as that for water-pan-fried buns. However, water-pan-fried buns use fully leavened dough, resulting in a thicker skin, and the preparation method is generally rougher.
While he was busy, Uncle Yu walked in again. "Xiao Lin," he said, "I called that mysterious buyer again just now. Guess what? They don’t even want my supermarket at a ten percent discount; they’re only interested in the shops around you. They’re truly targeting you. Be careful."
Lin Xu nodded. "Thank you, Uncle. I’ll ask around when I’m not busy today... Have you eaten?"
"I have. A bowl of bean juice with two fried dough rings, and then I had a sugar-browned pastry. It’s such a pity you can’t get used to such good bean juice."
It’s no pity at all, Lin Xu thought. He actually quite liked pungent dishes. He could happily eat stinky Gu fish and stinky tofu, and as for Snail Noodles, he always needed a big bowl to feel satisfied. But when it came to bean juice, he just felt like he was going to throw up his own bile.
About ten minutes later, when the water in the flat-bottomed pan had completely evaporated and the sizzling sound of frying could be heard, Lin Xu lifted the lid. The Shengjian Buns had expanded slightly, their skins a bit moist from the condensed steam, and they were now touching each other. Taking advantage of this moment, he sprinkled some Black sesame seeds and a handful of chopped Scallions over the buns; the moisture on the skins helped the sesame seeds and Scallions adhere firmly. He covered the pan with the lid once more, letting them cook on low heat for another two to three minutes to bring out the fragrance of the Scallions and allow some of the steam in the pan to dissipate.
It was time to take them out. Lin Xu carefully lifted the Shengjian Buns out of the pan with a spatula. The buns had white, fluffy, and soft skins, sprinkled with sesame seeds and bits of Scallion, while their bottoms were pan-fried to a crispy golden brown, featuring a visually tempting, lacy, frost-like pattern.
"My," Uncle Yu exclaimed, "these Shengjian Buns look really good! You could even open a shop with these."